Siege of Gaza

To commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Israeli ‘Operation Cast Lead’ attack on Gaza, and to highlight Israeli’s ongoing brutality coupled with the cruel and illegal siege of Gaza, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) staged a series of solidarity vigils around Ireland on New Years’ Eve. Protesters gathered on the Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge, Sligo’s Hyde Bridge, Derry’s Peace Bridge, Thomas Street in Limerick, in Galway’s Eyre Square, and even on the Cliffs of Moher to remember the victims of the attacks on Gaza in 2008/9, 2012, 2014 and all the killings that have taken place over the past three years, … Continue reading →

Dear friends, The situation in Gaza has become unbearable for the two million people living under Israel’s decade-long illegal siege. Just last week the UN declared that “the ‘unliveability’ threshold has already been passed” in the strip and this has been compounded by Israel’s policy of reducing electricity supply to a few hours every day. For a decade of cruel and illegal siege, for three devastating criminal assaults, for near-daily ceasefire violations, and for making Gaza unlivable, the Israeli state has faced not a single sanction from the international community. This impunity must end, so we are asking you to … Continue reading →

On Saturday 10th June around 1,500 people from all over Ireland (and further afield) marched in a National Demonstration to mark the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation and illegal colonisation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) organised the event to convey a simple message, that ‘100 years of injustice & 50 years of occupation is enough! It’s time for freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people!’ Click here to read the leaflet (PDF) we handed out to thousands of people along the way. Speaking at the rally outside the Israeli Embassy … Continue reading →

Take action in support of historic ‘International Law & the State of Israel’ academic conference in Cork We would like to bring you news of an important conference entitled ‘International Law & the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Exceptionalism and Responsibility‘ set to take place in Cork between 31st March and 2nd April. We are asking for your support to ensure that this Conference will actually take place, as it is coming under severe pressure from those who would prefer that no critical academic discussion on the nature of the Israeli state, its foundation, its legacy, and its violations of international … Continue reading →

Amid the inevitable deluge of whitewashed eulogies to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres who died today, it is important to recall his real record in Israeli politics. Shimon Peres was the father of Israel’s illegal nuclear weapons program, and who offered to sell nuclear technology to Apartheid South Africa. In 1986 he oversaw the operation that led to the kidnap and imprisonment of Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, who has been a prisoner of Israel in one form or another ever since. Between 1974 and 1977 Peres was Defence Minister when his government continued the building of illegal Israeli … Continue reading →

In the aftermath of destructive military onslaught on Gaza by Israeli forces which cost the lives of over 2,000 Palestinians in 2014, Portadown IPSC made contact with community workers in Khan Younis to establish a means of providing material assistance to those most affected by the conflict. A proposal was received back from Gaza in relation to a potential project which sought to provide direct assistance to women in those families where the main bread-winner was either killed or seriously injured as a result of the Israeli bombardment. That initiative envisaged providing training and employment opportunities for women by creating a … Continue reading →

‘Everything people do is controlled by the state of Israel … No matter where you go, you see the remains of the war of 2014.’ This is the description by an Irish bishop of the life-sapping reality of daily life for the people of the Gaza Strip as they deal with ongoing occupation and biennial mass attacks. The Irish Catholic Bishop of Dromore, John McAreavey is currently on a ten day visit to the occupied Palestinian territories and Jordan. Speaking to RTE Radio 1’s News At One, following two days in Gaza the Bishop also repeated the often-used description of Gaza … Continue reading →

There has been an upsurge of violence in the Palestine-Israel region since October 1st. Settler attacks on Palestinians, which had been running at between 50 and 80 per month, have surged to over 120 attacks in the first week of October. These attacks include firebombings, shootings, burning crops and stoning houses – often under the protection of the army.[1] Israeli army and police have brutally attacked West Bank Palestinian demonstrators, with over 1,300 people injured by live and rubber-coated bullets. Against this background of widespread colonial violence against Palestinians, condemned by human rights groups like Amnesty International, there have been … Continue reading →

Three weeks ago we launched the End the Irish Arms Trade with Israel campaign at a press conference in Dublin. Since then we’ve seen support for the campaign grow from many sectors of Irish society with public figures, politicians and political organisations, academics and intellectuals, trade unions and trade unionists, human rights activists and NGOs along with thousands of ordinary Irish citizens and residents, all signing up to be endorsers of this campaign. We’re now asking YOU to sign up if you haven’t done so already. It only takes ONE MINUTE to sign the petition online by clicking the link … Continue reading →

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has distributed the following important and informative new briefing paper to members of the Oireachtas, members of the European Parliament and members of local Irish councils. Titled Israel 2015: A government of extremists in charge of an-out-of control military, the paper is an in-depth investigation the extremist nature of the new Israeli government, the shocking views of its leading members, and the appalling recent record of the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza. Finally the document makes a series of recommendations that we believe the Irish government must take to help ensure that Israel is held to … Continue reading →